The Divine Universe: a true history

The Theogony and Cosmogony

[First published to coincide with the publication of Chapter XV of Soul Escape]

Chaos is often used to mean complete disorder, the word conjures apocalyptic images to mind. Chaos however originally meant void. Chaos is what comes after the apocalypse and before whatever it was to which the apocalypse happened. Chaos is nothingness and the origins of the Cosmos are contained within.

The Cosmos was in chaos, indeed chaos was the Cosmos. No nothingness however can be so without antithesis. Nothing must be observed to be nothing. Otherwise nothing is all there is and then it is something. So within that chaos there came to be a Sentience by which it could be observed. Barely anything at all, the Sentience observed and in being observed, as the ancient philosophers well knew, the thing observed changes. So it was with chaos. In being observed chaos acquired a spirit, an identity, and in that acquisition, true chaos ceased to be for there was now existence in chaos. The spirit desired to be more than chaos and in that desiring was the first act of the Cosmos. Such was the power of that first act that it changed the very nature of the spirit from chaos to Hope. So Elpis came to be, the first Primordial.

Such was the power of Hope where all had been chaos that she caused to come into being, from the chaos which longed to be more than it was, her fellow Primordials, her children, the creators of the Cosmos.

Seven in number were they, the Primordials. First was Elpis, Hope, the motive force of the Cosmos, the elusive lady, Elpis, is eldest of all things. From Elpis came Eros, sexual love, lust and reproduction, Hekate, magic, Metis, thought, Ouranos, space and heaven, Pan, life, and Tyche, luck. These mighty beings, rulers and embodiments of their powers, could bring much to pass with their will alone but only through the power of Eros could further beings like themselves be created. From the unions of the Primordials can be traced all existence. Yet Hekate distained Eros and partook not in the unions, remaining eternally a maiden, virgin to the agonies and ecstasies that belong to Eros alone.

Amongst the other Primordials, their unions were various, marriage yet being unknown. Eros gave the gift of reproduction to unions of all kinds. From Elpis and Eros were born twin sons - Aether, light, and Erebos, darkness. These inextricable brothers delight in each other and disport themselves in joyous fraternal rivalry, seeking not supremacy but balance through their convivial contests. Aether and Erebos joined together and from their union came came twin daughters, Hermera, Day, and Nyx, night, tragic sisters who inherited their fathers' contention but, alas, where their fathers compete with love, they contend in hatred, locked in an endless struggle for dominion. Yet from their struggles came to be Apate, Deceit, Eris, Strife, Momos, Scorn, Nemesis, Revenge, Penthos, Sorrow, Zelos, Envy and finally Ate, Delusion. Their fathers, seeing their ruinous conflict unending, brought forth Eos, Dawn, and Astraios, Dusk, and Ouranos appointed them to prescribe the bounds of their elder sisters. So came to be the diurnal cycle of the Cosmos, restrained by the powers of their younger siblings, Nyx and Hermera are kept eternally apart, ushered from their temporary ascendancy by the gentle but irresistible hands of Dawn and Dusk. 

Aether lay also with Ouranos and from their coupling came Asteria. She it is who presides over the stars, regulating the constellations and the celestial dance of heavenly revelation by which Ouranos whispers to the wise of that which is yet to come. She alone appoints a star its place and by her will alone does a star fall. From Nyx in union with Astraios came Hypnos, sleep and Hypnos in union with Asteria bore Morpheus, he who rules the realm of dreams. From his mother Morpheus inherited the power to reveal some portion of the future yet he is capricious and sends both false and true visons according to his whim. Few are they who are given the gift to interpret the messages of Morpheus and to winnow the true vision from the false.

Even so did Pan and Tyche lie together and from their union came seven children. First and greatest of their progeny was Thanatos, Death, the sole limit to his father's power. Next came triplet daughters,  Clotho, the Spinner who spins the threads of life, Lachesis, the Apportioned who measures the threads, and Atropos, she who cannot be turned who cuts short the threads. Together these three mighty sisters, the Moirai, allot fates to mortals and even the gods can be ensnared. Yet their will is not absolute upon the fates of gods or mortals and so then came Moros, Doom, servant of his elder sisters, he it is who seeks to enact his sisters' will and lead gods and mortals upon their appointed paths. Next was born Akylys, she of the death mist both veils and opens the eyes of mortals. Last born was Geras, bringer of old age, that blessing and curse to mortals.